Comparison of Pigmy Rattlesnake and Hognose Snake

Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake: underside of head. The nose is blunt and rounded and tipped with one small scale

Hognose Snake: underside of head. The nose is tipped with a single large shovel-like scale.

Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake: The tip of the snout is blunt and rounded; pupil of the eye is a catlike vertical slit; and there is a pit on the side of the head between the eye and nostril.

Hognose Snake: Single large upturned shovel-like scale on the tip of the snout; pupil of the eye is round; and there is no pit on the side of the head between the eye and nostril. The hognose snake illustrated here is the Southern Hognose Snake, Heterodon simus.